
A Visit to Luca's Farm
Listen to story
May 28, 2026
Stories are AI-generated with editorial curation.

Listen to story
May 28, 2026
Stories are AI-generated with editorial curation.

"Dad, why do we always take this longer path?" Pino asked as he looked at the steep trail winding up the hill. Down in the valley, he could see the road—straight, paved, and easy. Dundo patted him on the shoulder. "Because there's something you need to see at the top." Jole, their faithful dog, trotted alongside them, wagging his tail happily. They walked for nearly an hour. Pino was already feeling tired, but Dundo encouraged him with stories from his childhood. When they finally reached the top of the cliff, two trees stood before them. One was enormous and sturdy, with a canopy so wide it cast a shadow over half the cliff. Its branches bravely faced the wind that blew incessantly at this height. The other tree, barely five meters away, was dry, broken, and almost dead. It creaked sadly in the wind. "Both trees were planted on the same day, from the same seed," Dundo said quietly.

Eva and Dundo had a rare day off without the kids. Otto and Maria eagerly stepped in to babysit the little ones while the couple decided to revisit the place where they first met. As they approached the old wooden bridge over the stream, Eva reminisced about that evening, and Dundo had a special gift hidden in his pocket.

In the basement of an old building in the square, there was a library that wasn't on any map. It had no sign, no opening hours, and the doors opened only for some. Hana stumbled upon it by chance, escaping the rain. She descended the wet steps, pushed the heavy wooden door, and entered a room filled with books from floor to ceiling. It smelled of old paper, wood, and something sweet—like honey mixed with dust. At the table sat Helena, Eva's sister, wearing a smile that promised adventures. Loli, the family cat, curled up on a shelf, watching Hana with her green eyes. "Go ahead, but don't choose," Helena said, without lifting her gaze from the book in her hands. "What?" Hana was puzzled. "In this library, you don't choose books. Books choose you."

When Hana was cleaning the attic after her grandmother's death, she found a box full of letters. Hundreds of them, neatly arranged, each in its own envelope—but none of the envelopes were sealed. And none had an address. "Dad, did Grandma Maria write letters she never sent?" she asked Dundo, who was standing on the ladder. Dundo climbed into the attic, took a letter, and read it. His hands trembled. He took another. A third. Each letter was addressed to the same person—but it wasn't a name Hana had ever heard. "Who is Helena?" Hana asked. Dundo was silent for a long time. Then he sat on the dusty attic floor and said, "Sit down, Hana. Your grandmother Maria kept a secret for fifty years. And I think this box is her way of finally telling you."